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Limpiar La Raza: Island Vs. Diaspora Representations Of Dominican Race, Selines Sanchez

Theses and Dissertations

Investigating Dominicans and Dominican-Americans in the context of whiteness studies, specifically through the Spanish phrase limpiar la raza (cleaning the race), this thesis will examine the existence and effects of whiteness on this population of Latin Americans. I am using my experience and current discourse and representation to explore the way whiteness and blackness are both re-enforced and transformed in the Dominican-American diaspora and what limpiar la raza might mean in the 21st century amongst island-based, U.S. born, and immigrant Dominicans. My goal is to reveal how the history of whiteness, anti-blackness, and racial confusion persists in the diaspora today …